Researchers looked at 16-19 year old test takers in 35 countries sitting the IELTS exam for academic or immigration motives and found that in some countries, girls do outperform boys in English language proficiency by a small margin.

On April 6, the UK government announced that it was reducing the number of approved providers of Secure English Language Tests – those that can be used to support a visa application for sub-degree applications – from four to two. Beckie Smith assesses the impact.

As of April 6, Trinity College London and IELTS will be the only two approved providers of Secure English Language Testing used to support UK visa applications, as part of a raft of changes to visa laws due to be laid before parliament on 26 February.